Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has achieved the zero waste to landfill (ZWL) certification by the Confederation of Indian Industry Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC).
The ZWL assessment verified that Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has implemented the best waste management practices and achieved a 99.50% waste diversion from landfill. The airport has successfully diverted 100% of plastic waste and 100% of MSW waste (wet and dry).
A press note issued here said the process involved integration of robust value chain system and adoption of 5R principles (Reduce, Reuse, Reprocess, Recycle, Recover) of sustainable waste management.
The goal of zero waste to landfill is to divert at least 99% of generated waste from landfills while reducing the amount of waste generated. The assessment of ZWL practices at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport was conducted for the financial year 2022-2023. The main sources of waste generation at the site were paper waste, cutlery waste, food waste, and road waste, which contributed most to the municipal solid waste.
The airport has a waste management system that follows the ISO 14001:2015 standard, which aims to improve environmental performance. The system involves waste segregation, recycling, monitoring, and reduction, as well as an environmental management system (EMS) that sets and evaluates environmental goals. The airport has established well demarcated sites for the collection of segregated waste which is then transferred to the recycling yard and recovery facility.
